Kali Ryan
Agricola and Germania
Dr.Newsome
October 2, 2012
Agricola and GermaniaThe Agricola and Germani is a novel that serves two purposes: The Agricola is a eulogy praising Tacitus's father-in-law, and commander of Britian, Agricola. The Germania is an ethnography on German people. Both stories are told through the eyes of Tacitus as he indirectly criticizes Roman politics and society. His reason for snaking in these criticisms in such a crafty manner had been due to his friendship with high ranking Roman officials whom he did not want to upset. His criticisms were derived from his experiences with Agricola, speeches given by Calgucus, and his ability to compare and contrast cultural differences of Rome and Germania, targeting Germania as a threat to Rome. Tacitus praises German culture throughout the Germania, and allows readers to applaud them for their stress on the importance of freedom, instead of bashing on them. Tacitus's opinion became an utmost crucial part of the story, that sometimes his viewpoints were stated as facts, which could dupe the reader. Also, his personal connection with Agricola added to a biased opinion on him, and an exaggeration of his accomplishments, which alter the facts. An example from the text that reveals Tacitus's biased feelings toward Agricola is evident through his theory that Agricola died by poison from Domitian, who had been apparently envious of Agricola's fame, although this theory was never proved. As a historian, military history and geographical knowledge was absent in Tacitus's work. Whereas he makes up for that as a biographer with the knowledge he did attain from his closely knit relationship with Agricola, and his ability to powerfully recite these incidents.

The Agricola serves to criticizes Rome on a political level. Tacitus discretely paints Rome to be a corrupt empire with greedy, tyrannical rulers who held complete control over all aspects of Roman life. They held an impervious belief that it was their certainty to rule the world, and so they sought to do just that. Tacitus discouraged this insatiable ambition. An excerpt from Calgucus's speech reveals the greed of Rome, "The wealth of an enemy excites their greed, his poverty their lust for power…Robbery, butchery, rapine these liars call "empire": they create desolation and call it peace"(Tacitus, 20). It was not of any concern to the Romans that other nations were in poverty, any land that they could gain the Romans wanted, regardless of the condition. Calgucus's speech was used by Tacitus as a leeway to keep himself out of trouble. Calgucus was a leader of the British force and gave his speech to the British forces at Mount Graupius , therefore Tacitus could not be held responsible for making this depiction of Rome, yet it is obvious to readers today why it is included.

If Tacitus believed that there was one good thing about Rome, it was Agricola. Agricola, as seen by Tacitus was a general and governor, who's footsteps every other ruler should follow."He succeeded where few succeed: to mention incorruptibility and self-restraint in a man of his calibre would be to insult his virtues"(Tacitus, 7). Tacitus depicted Agricola as a leader by example of how even though Rome was in a dangerous state, the possibility of making improvements and behaving correctly was much better than acting in the extreme opposite. "Neither before nor since has Britannia ever been in a more uneasy or dangerous state: veterans butchered, colonies burned to the ground, armies isolated…Yet everything combined to give the young Agricola fresh skill, fresh experience and fresh ambition, and his spirit was invaded by the passion for military glory" (Tacitus, 4). Tacitus was not greedy or tyrannical like other rulers of Rome had been. Under the government of the despised Domitian, Agricola remained imperial and uncorrupted until his death.

Correspondingly to political criticisms, social criticisms were also buried in the...

YOU MAY ALSO FIND THESE DOCUMENTS HELPFUL

...Agricola and the Germania: As written by Tacitus
The Agricola and the Germania were written by Tacitus in around 97A.D. The Agricola is an account of the life of Tacitus’ father-in-law Gnaeus Julius Agricola. The Germania is a description of the geography and culture of Germanic tribes. Agricola and the Germania give insight into Roman history. When Tacitus was...

...years, and had married in the family of the common Agricola. Emerging into their social hierarchy, he entered the Senate by the end of the first century.
The Agricola (more commonly known as de vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae, this means the life and personality of Julius Agricola) is a book by the Roman historian by the name of Tacitus, it was written in 98 c. This book recounts the life and living manner of his father-in-law, Gnaeus Julius...

...world. After years of conquest, an island off the coast of Lower Germania and Belgica1 came into view to the Roman soldiers. This of course was what we know today as England. There is no doubt, after many years of Roman war and rule, that the culture of England was affected by Roman culture. However, what is not certain is how the British reacted to this Roman presence. It is here that an ancient text will be utilized: Agricola by Tacitus. In review of this...

...
Germania by Cornelius Tacitus (A.D. 98)
Tacitus tells of Agricola's ahead of time life-span in behind the scenes for the brave, reward rise in the ranks, and jurisdiction unmatched victory over the British rebel forces at the time. This Critique Tell consists of nigh 35 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, flavour investigation, themes, and To everything you need to sharpen your coworker of The Agricola; and the Germanial Befitting to Her Highness order as...

...Review Essay
Germania, written by the Roman Cornelius Tacitus in 98 A.D, is a historical work on the warlike Germanic tribes located north of the Danube and the Rhine rivers. Anthropology is the study of societies, cultures, and origins of human races. In Germania, Tacitus describes the inhabitants, customs, and society of these Germanic tribes giving valuable anthropological insight. Tacitus specifically describes the role women held in these early Germanic...

...This piece called the Funerary monument of Flavius Agricola was a large marble piece that is categorized as a piece of ancient art. This was depicted as a man being served at a party on a diner lid. This was a piece made out of white marble with scratchy black and brown lines that went in a vertical direction. Those black and brown lines also give it a visual texture of movement and realism. Since the man is lying in a half seat perspective you see the horizontal lines of his...

...﻿
Critical Analysis on Tacitus: Germania
Looking into t1he past is not an easy task, especially when looking back two thousand years. Without writing, it is impossible to speculate the kind of culture our ancestors lived. About 54 A.D. a roman citizen named Tacitus wrote his account about the early German nation. His writing had survived the sands of time and gives insight about the ancestors of the modern Teutonic nations. Tacitus was a man that held many important public...

...﻿Summary of Tacitus: Germania
During the first and the second centuries, outside the borders of the Roman Empire, and occupying the area of Central Europe of what is today Germany, lived the tribes of the Germanic people. These descendants of modern Germans proved peculiar in that they adopted many qualities typical of barbaric cultures, yet they simultaneously practiced virtues more befitting of advanced civilizations, values more ethical than even the Roman empire of the...